Egypt to import vaccines, technologies from Russia

May 28, 2015, 20:48 UTC+3CAIRO"At the moment, Egypt purchases all the active ingredients for medicines in India and China but local companies are interested in supplies of products of a better quality from Russia," Magdi said

CAIRO, May 28. /TASS/. Egypt will import vaccines from Russia, Yelena Magdi, the chief of the department of medicine and pharmaceutics of the Russian-Egyptian Business Council told TASS on Thursday.

She said these purchases were envisioned by a bilateral agreement signed in Cairo on the sidelines of a Russian-Egyptian business forum.

"A decision on the issue has been taken but it is still unknown in what form they will do the purchases, namely, whether they will be buying ready vaccines or will take over our technologies for making preparations on the spot," Magdi said.

"At the moment, Egypt purchases all the active ingredients for medicines in India and China but local companies are interested in supplies of products of a better quality from Russia," she said.

Russia’s inclusion in the list of countries, the medicines and vaccines from which undergo shorter registration procedures in Egypt was the main issue at a roundtable on medicine and pharmaceutics that was held as part of the business forum. Officials of the two countries’ healthcare ministries, the Russian Ministry of Industries and Trade, as well as executives of Russian and Egyptian pharmaceutical companies attended the session.

"This (simpler registration procedures - TASS) is a very sensitive problem and we were trying to solve it together with ministerial officials," Magdi said.

The setting up of workgroups by the Egyptian and Russian health ministers for supervising cooperation in this field became the main outcome of the meeting.

A large delegation of Egyptian pharmaceutists will come to Russia in the next two months to get familiarized with the pharmaceutical industry here.

"The most important thing is the process has taken off the ground and as soon as an active exchange begins conditions will appear for making the situation easier on the whole," Magdi said.